Week 2: The Pursuit of Wow!

For the next several weeks I will be blogging on The Pursuit of Wow by Tom Peters. Although this book was published over 20 years ago, I find the book to be just as relevant and insightful for today’s entrepreneurial leader. The book is a compilation of more than 200 observations by Tom Peters, a management guru, on how to achieve WOW. It is written in a way that is extremely accessible, as his style leans toward informal conversation rather than formal academic language. In short, I know from the first two chapters that this will be a very fun read.

The root idea of this book is that individuals at every level of a firm or business should be looking for opportunities to stand out from the crowd. One that really stood out for me in chapter 1 was focused on attentiveness. A research study on why customers left 14 major manufacturing and service companies showed that only 15 percent of the customers were lost because of quality and 15 percent for price. The remaining 70 percent was related to the human side of doing business like lack of attention from the company or contact was not good quality. This was a great reminder of how important paying attention to your customer is.

Another great observation is a quote by Albert Einstein answering a question about how he works. His response: “I grope.” I love this! It reinforces that even a genius like Einstein recognizes that his progress is iterative and imperfect. To get to a place of discovery, it will not necessarily be pretty.

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5 thoughts on “Week 2: The Pursuit of Wow!”

Hey Jeremiah,
I agree 100% about why those 70% of customers left major manufacturing and service companies. I feel like if you feel like you are just a number and replaceable then why work there? They don’t care. Same concept applies as being a customer. If the companies’ don’t care about you as a customer then why shop there when you can go somewhere else that cares about your wants/needs.

I’m looking forward to your upcoming posts about this book! It’s already caught my attention and on my list of books to get from Amazon!

Jeremiah,
Attentiveness is definitely key to being a successful entrepreneur. Attentiveness to the standards of the product or service offered ensures that what is offered is delivered at a standard of high quality. Attentiveness to the customer helps ensure that your client-base feels their importance to your business. Attentiveness to problems and divergent solutions to those problems leads to creativity and innovation.

Key to achieving the state of attentiveness is the ability to be in contact with how others are responding and reacting to what is around them. It requires getting out of our point-of-view and attempting to enter the perspective of another. When we can anticipate the needs of those we wish to serve, our attentiveness will likely be rewarded by trust, loyalty, and continued growth in the relationship.

I enjoyed your first installment about this book, and look forward to future posts.
Warmly,
Laura

Jeremiah,
Interesting statistics. According to the percentage related to the lack of attentiveness, the “human side of doing business” is the main and first aspect for a successful business. I think many entrepreneurs forget about it when running their business.
Looking forward to your next post about this book!

You’re statistics that you posted are pretty interesting. When I actually sit here and think about it, it makes complete sense as to why 70 percent of customers leave due to lack of “human side of doing business”. I know when I go into a store and an employee does not at least acknowledge me, I usually will not stay in the store that long because I feel unwanted. Greeting a customers definitely let’s them feel comfortable and let’s them know you are available to help them if needed.

Jeremiah,
I can believe the stats re: why companies lose clients. Customer service is almost non-existent in many industries, such as fast food. Gone are the days of, “Good Morning, How may I help you?” or “Thank you. Come and see us again.” It makes you wonder what the owners of these companies are thinking. I can’t wait to hear more about the book.